More children's books are published with an animal protagonist than a main character who is black, Latinx, First Nations, or Asian.

Only around 7% of published romance novels are written by authors of colour. There are similar statistics in other genres. The vast majority of employees in publishing houses are white and able-bodied.

The hashtag #publishingpaidme brings to light the huge pay disparity between white authors and BIPOC authors in the traditional publishing world.

As a disabled author, I know many of us face additional barriers to getting our work out in the world, and that those barriers are still present when we self-publish. I also know that in telling our stories we often do battle against the harmful stereotypes and unrealistic images of disability in the media.

Also, as a white writer, I understand I have the privilege of being seen. I try to be a good ally, but I've got things wrong. I'm always learning. But a POC character written by myself will more likely reach a wider audience than one written from the lived experience of a POC author, and that's ridiculous and it needs to change. Writing more diverse characters is only part of the solution. The other part is to lift up voices that might not otherwise get heard. 

I want you to have the same opportunities self-publishing has given me. On an equal footing. That's why I'm excited to offer the Rage Against the Manuscript Diversity Scholarship.